Overview

• Tennessee’s Medical Ethics Defense Act, effective April 2025, permits providers to refuse treatment when it conflicts with their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.
• A 35-year-old Jonesborough resident says her OB-GYN cited the law to decline prenatal care after learning she is unmarried.
• She traveled to Virginia to obtain prenatal services and has filed formal complaints with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and the American Medical Association.
• The patient’s repeated calls to Senator Marsha Blackburn went unanswered and staffers for Senator Bill Hagerty told her he was not obligated to listen to constituents.
• Critics warn that this refusal could worsen access barriers in a state already facing the nation’s highest maternal mortality rate and a sharp decline in obstetrics residency applications.